Naruto's Return
by cherryakabebe
Summary: "I was sent to Suna as a foreign ambassador, while Shikamaru was on vacation, and Gaara and I became friends, Naruto-kun." A short drabble in which Naruto is reintroduced to Gaara and Hinata and is unsure how to deal with the implications of their new relationship. AU, probably.
1. naruto returns

"Garra?" Blue eyes tilt up to meet red ones.

"Welcome back, Naruto." The gates of Konoha greet a Kazekage and a weary traveler.

"Why are you here?" Naruto asked. Could it be that Gaara had come all this way to greet him? He'd gotten taller. Damn.

Gaara stared down at him, calculating his answer. Naruto's voice had gotten deeper. He was not as loud. Finally, he said, "I am visiting a...friend."

They flashed their identification to the gatekeepers and stepped into the village. Naruto was greeted by the fleeting sense of familiarity, but it was obvious that the village had gone through renovations. Gaara was greeted by a young woman, enveloped in her embrace upon passing through the gates.

"Gaara, you're here," a soft voice exclaimed. She stopped to look over at his companion. "Oh, I'm sorry. Welcome back, Naruto-kun!"

"Hinata," Gaara greeted, returning the hug, an amused smile dancing across his face. He wanted to see how Naruto would react to the changed Hyuuga.

Naruto gaped at the sight trying to piece together how the shy, dark, little Hinata had turned into a strong, capable young woman. Hinata had evidently grown out her hair, though it was in a loose bun at the moment. She had forgone her baggy sweater for something more practical. Hinata now donned a loose long-sleeved black shirt, a vest, equip with all of her ninja gear, over it, grey shorts that rose just above her knees, and black sandals. She was also now currently pressed into the Kazekage's side.

"Hin-, Ga-, whe-, wha-," Naruto sputtered in an attempt to figured out just what had happened since his departure. "I didn't know you guys were friends."

Hinata giggled at his confusion. She had missed Naruto and his enthusiasm. Upon hearing her small laugh, Naruto's face felt warmer. "I was sent to Suna as a foreign ambassador, while Shikamaru was on vacation, and Gaara and I became friends, Naruto-kun."

"Naruto," Garra's voice interjected, "you should be reporting to the Hokage."

"You can have lunch with us if you want," Hinata offered. "We still need to drop Gaara's things off at the compound." Unbeknownst to Naruto, Gaara lightly tapped Hinata's hip to show that he was not at all pleased with this recent development. Hinata briefly met Gaara's gaze and held it. He gave a brief nod to show that he would behave.

"I'd like that," his gaze softened as Hinata came forward to give him a much-appreciated hug. He made brief eye-contact with Gaara, who was evaluating him. Hinata then returned to grab Gaara's hand and started pulling him towards the compound.

She briefly waved at Naruto and flashed him a small smile, "We'll see you later, Naruto-kun!"

Naruto waved back at their retreating forms and wondered why he could hear the blood hammering into his ears. He really needed to catch up with everyone.

Suddenly, he remembered that he needed to report to Tsunade. "Shit."


	2. yer a dobe

"Hn." An arched eyebrow hid any signs that he was impressed.

"Teme." Blonde matched raven.

"Dobe," a grin was also gradually reflected on both of the young men's features. "Back so soon? The village is going to miss its quiet."

"I'll have to make up for that," Naruto retorted, motioning for Sasuke to walk with him.

"There goes my peace of mind," the Uchiha mumbled. He tried not to let it show that he was a little glad that the loud-mouthed ninja was back.

"Assuming that everyone's going to wanna hear about my awesome adventures later, what's been going on here since I've been gone?" Naruto asked, slipping into relatively easy conversation with his best friend.

The Uchiha tried to think of things that would be of interest to Naruto. "Am I the first person that you've seen?"

Interestingly enough, the question dusted a light pink over his companion's cheeks. Sasuke embedded this into his memory and paid just a little bit more attention than he had before. "You're the first male I've seen from the village," Naruto replied a little too nonchalantly. His hand sheepishly scratching the back of his head followed by an awkward laugh.

"So, it was a girl." More of a deadpan statement than a question.

"...yeah."

"Sakura?"

"No."

"Ino?"

"No."

"Tenten?"

Another negation. The blonde was currently looking anywhere but the Sharingan user. Sasuke silently wracked his brain trying to figure out what kunoichi had caused such a reaction from the, normally, dense nin. His eyes widened slightly at the realization.

"Could it have been Hinata?" he smirked when the blonde stiffened slightly. "Well, she has grown up to be a desirable woman, Naruto. You didn't think that anybody would notice?"

"Oi, don't talk about Hinata-chan so casually, teme," Naruto snapped before groaning and rubbing his temples. "Do you think Gaara noticed?"

"Gaara?" What did the red headed automaton have to do with anything? "Is he in town again?"

"Again?" came the quiet response.

This was unnerving for Sasuke, who was used to dealing with outbursts. "Yeah, he, uh, visits Hinata regularly and vice versa. They're pretty close friends. Then again, Hinata has become pretty popular around the village. I spar with her on Tuesdays."

"DOES THE WHOLE WORLD REVOLVE AROUND HER?" There was Naruto.

"Well," Sasuke paused, inwardly laughing at the blond's exasperation, "no, but you were specifically asking about her. I mean, we've all gotten pretty popular around the village. We're the Rookie 9 and we're kind of in our prime, dobe."


	3. matchmaker tsunade

After promising Sasuke that they would spar later, Naruto finally made it to the Hokage's office. He was greeted by a much calmer Sakura who did not resort to violence upon seeing him. She had instead given him a warm hug and promised to catch up later as she was late to the hospital. He agreed to meet her later, a warm nostalgic feeling replacing the hug as he watched her go off wondering when exactly he had gotten over her in the past two years that he'd been away.

He shrugged it off and exclaimed, "Guess who's back, Baa-chan?"

The door opened to reveal a giddy Shizune and a grinning Hokage, sake neatly poured indicating that she was about to start drinking. "Welcome back, brat," Tsunade replied ecstatic that her favorite knucklehead ninja was back.

"So, as much as I'd like to stay here and debrief you, I kinda have to meet someone for lunch," Naruto smiled when he saw her eyes soften, "can we do this tomorrow?"

"Sure, but on one condition," Tsunade said straightening her papers and staring up at him innocently.

"Anything for you, Baa-chan."

"Who are you having lunch with?"

This time Naruto felt a small cocoon in his stomach. "Ah, Hinata-chan invited me to lunch."

Tsunade and Shizune exchanged a knowing look. "She's become a fine woman, that Hinata."

"I hear that she's single," Shizune added. They both looked at Naruto, gauging his reaction.

As for said blond, a butterfly emerged.

"Well, we better not keep you from her," Tsunade said interrupting his thoughts and making a shooing motion.

"Have fun, Naruto," Shizune giggled. "And welcome back!"

Naruto shook his head at her giggle but conceded and followed through with their wishes, leaving the office and wondering whether he should've added that Gaara would also be there and that he was, in fact, joining them for lunch as a last-minute addition. He had, however, learned a valuable piece of information about the new Hinata. She was single. He wasn't entirely sure why his brain had filed it under important, but it had nevertheless.

At that moment, Naruto remembered that Hinata had never said where to meet. Rounding the corner that would lead him to the exit of the Hokage building, Naruto decided to check the compound first.

"Ah, Naruto-kun, we waited for you," Hinata said causing Naruto to stop and take in her new appearance. She now donned a blue sundress suitable for the summer heat and her hair was partly clipped back in a style that looked as intricate to Naruto as the young woman before him.

"Yes, we realized that we did not tell you where we were going to be eating," Gaara added causing Naruto to realize that he and Hinata were not, in fact, alone as he had previously thought. Gaara, to his credit, had changed into a nice button down shirt and slacks. Naruto suddenly grew conscious of his appearance.

"Would you mind if I went home for a quick change?" Naruto sheepishly asked motioning at his clothes that had flecks of dirt on them indicating a long journey.

Hinata smiled and shook her head, "Not at all."


	4. ramen confessions

"To be perfectly honest with you, he should not be here right now."

"To be perfectly honest with you, you're being rude." Gaara blinked in response. He had not meant to imply that Naruto was not welcome, but the place they were going to did not require him to dress up. He was attempting to spare Naruto the trouble.

Hinata sighed and tried to remember the last time that Gaara had been so adamant about not wanting someone to eat lunch with them. It was Naruto. That, in itself, should be enough justification for him to come along. No, she did not understand.

When Naruto finally came out, he donned a casual t-shirt and some nice jeans. "Sorry for the wait, guys." He sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

"It was no problem, Naruto," Gaara replied, attempting a small smile. Oh yes, he was getting good at those.

"Now, come on," Hinata added. She gestured for the boys to follow her. She then promptly turned around, fully expecting them to comply to her wishes, and began to hum a tune she had heard with Ino the other day that they had gone to the market.

Gaara, to his credit, followed her, allowing her to lead, and lightly tapping Naruto's shoulder to indicate that they were going to start moving and also that he wanted to talk to him in private before reaching their destination. "And how did the training go?" he asked casually.

"It went well. I learned a lot of super cool jutsus and I met a lot of amazing people. Plus I got to try a lot of new foods and I don't even know where to begin, buddy," they slipped into easy conversation. Naruto didn't notice when Hinata left their line of vision, but he did notice when she came back and extended her hand to him.

"Do you mind if I," she trailed off, but offered a smile. Her extended hand finally registered and he nodded bashfully. She gave Gaara a nod and then led them to the restaurant.

"Welcome home, Naruto," a familiar voice and the scent of ramen overwhelmed his senses. Tears welled up in his eyes, threatening to fall. Naruto realized that if he even attempted to form any coherent words, the crack that would surely break them would tell them more than the string of letters ever could.

Teuchi and Ayame offered a warm bowl of ramen instead.

"Thanks, Hinata-chan!" Naruto finally said after internally calming himself down. Hinata and Gaara had taken seats on either side of him and were also enjoying their ramen. Hinata waved off the gratitude that Naruto had offered her. She had merely escorted him to Ichiraku's. She had no hand in the warm reception that rewelcoming that he received.

"I'm just happy that we're friends, Naruto-kun!"

Gaara eyed Hinata curiously. When he had met her, she would not have been able to say that to anyone, let alone the object of her former affections.

"Why're you looking at Hinata-chan like that Gaara?" Naruto asked after gulping down his bowl, only to have it replaced with another.

"Ano, I think that Gaara is remembering when we met, Naruto-kun," Hinata interjected, silently hoping that Gaara would let her reveal her own secrets.

"I was," came the curt affirmation.

"What reminded him of that?" Naruto asked, still confused.

"Ah, Naruto-kun, I believe it was my statement on how happy I am that we're friends. You see, I used to have a very big crush on you, Naruto-kun. I admired your courage, strength, perseverance, confidence, and outlook," Hinata listed counting on her fingers, "but, most of all, I think I just liked you and your obsession with ramen and learning new jutsus and wanting to become the Hokage at such a young age."

Naruto, however, was not listening. Naruto was glazed over trying to figure out why he couldn't get those years of his life back. Gaara, to his credit, was watching Naruto bemusedly and trying to figure out when he should stop Hinata from talking.

_Uh, and in response to the Guest review, I totally get what you're saying, but at the same time, I kinda wanna develop it into Naruto figuring out that he actually likes her because she is her and not the idea of her. Because liking the idea of somebody is so dangerous if you want it to be a serious relationship. At least, in my opinion, but I respect you thinking it's going slow and as far as the romance goes, well, I'm pretty sure I put friendship as the primary category. And I also kinda like the concept of becoming friends before lovers cause Naruto doesn't really know Hinata. Like at all. For the most part. But not saying that she doesn't maybe end up with Gaara. Or anyone. Oops._


End file.
